The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

  'The Lady from Shanghai' is a 1947 Film Noir directed by, and starring, Orson Welles.
  An Irish sailor, Michael O'Hara (Welles), agrees to a cruise to Acapulco on Arthur Bannister's yacht, after meeting his wife, Else Bannister (Rita Hayworth), and saving her from a robbery. Bannister is a twisted defence attorney, which O'Hara is curious about. On the way he meets George Grisby and Elsa falls in love with O'Hara. Once in Acapulco, Grisby tells O'Hara about how he would pay money to O'Hara to help him fake his own death. Back in San Francisco, O'Hara helps Grisby, but inevitably, things don't go to plan.
  As Film Noir is one of my least favourite genres, I set my expectations to below zero. However, I was wrong to do so, as this is a fine supplement to the genre. Only a few films in the large Film Noir genre ('Mildred Pierce', 'Touch of Evil', 'Key Largo' and 'The Third Man') would I consider great movies, and this film could also be added to that list.
  Orson Welles is often considered the second greatest directer ever (no.1 being Hitchcock of course), but he wouldn't even appear in my top 20. 'Citizen Kane' and 'Touch of Evil' are two amazing films, but a director shouldn't be put in the record book for making two phenomenal films, especially after the boredom inducing 'Chimes at Midnight' and the bland 'Magnificent Ambersons'. I know he created a bunch of techniques that improved the artistic qualities of cinema with 'Citizen Kane', so I still think he is a decent director. After watching this film, I am definitely intrigued to watch more of his films.
  Not only is he a fine director, but he is also a great actor. Not many actors have such a demanding presence on screen, and I thought the Irish accent was pretty great as well. I'd take it any day to Daniel Day-Lewis's irritating Lincoln voice.
  All trademarks of a typical Film Noir are here, an innocent man being framed, money, guns, corruption and an infamous femme-fatale. Shot in black and white, I assumed this film was made in 1957, as the cinematography was 10 years a head of it's time. Everywhere from Acapulco to the Funhouse was framed with creativity to perfection.
  The plot has a couple of holes in, but it does make you think what Welles could have done with this film if the studio wasn't holding him back.

TO CONCLUDE
I wouldn't say a perfect Film Noir but a fine and enjoyable one.

SCORE
77

Now, Voyager (1942)

  Now, Voyager is a Romantic American film made in 1942 and directed by Irving Rapper.
  Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) has mental problems, lacks self confidence and has mother issues. Her rich mother (Gladys Cooper) is strict and lets Charlotte have no freedom. As she is sent to a Sanatorium, her sister Lisa (Ilka Chase), suggests Charlotte relax on a cruise. While there she meets a married man, Jeremiah Duvaux Durrance (Paul Henried), and, you guessed it, they fall in love. After the cruise they head there seperate ways, Charlotte marries, but they are destined to be together...
  Released the same year as Casablanca, it 'dibbles and dabbles' in one of my least favourite genres. The 'Classic American Romance' movie. It feels like I have seen this film before as it is similar to 'Trouble in Paradise', 'The Lady Eve', 'Roman Holiday' and 'All that Heaven Allows'. This may be the best of the bunch, but that doesn't mean its an effective romance. These movies tend to make you feel sick to the bone, with the main characters repeating "I love you, but I can't tell anyone as I am engaged", before finally getting together at the end for a long romantic kiss. They all have the same aim, but what set s this apart from the others is Bette Davis's quality acting, and some decent camera techniques and settings. Apart from that there is nothing really to add.

TO CONCLUDE
In a bland genre, this is meh.

SCORE
68

12 Years a Slave (2013)

  '12 Years a Slave' is a 2013 American film directed by Steve McQueen. Not that one. The other one.
  It follows Solomon Northup as he gets captured by slave kidnappers, taken away from his wife and kids, and sold to plantation owners in the South of America. Firstly, he is sold to Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), a plantation owner which respects him and treats him with respect. Tibeats (Paul Dano) helps with looking after the slaves, and after Solomon, renamed Platt, attacks him, Ford sells him to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) for fear that Tibeats will kill him. Epps is a far worse slave owner, whipping the slaves constantly, treating them worse than animals.
  Despite this being frontrunner for Best Picture at this years Oscars, it is far from the best film. It is powerful, and the acting nominations were deserved, I just thought 'Blue Jasmine', 'Gravity' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street' were better films overall.
  We all know what this film is about, so from the second he is captured, we want to see him being reunited with his family. The film makes you wait 2 hours, which is more frustraiting then suspenseful. The cinematography has one or two gorgeous shots (the camera gliding up river, past strange blossoming trees), but they are spoiled by having a shallow depth of field. The actor is in the foreground in focus, but the background is blurry. I appear to be the only person frustrated by this, but I believe a deep depth of field would have made the film look gorgeous.
  Also frustrating is the way the actors stare into the distance, with no words being spoke, nothing occurring on screen, just them staring. It's allowable in Art Movies but feels completely out of place in a Hollywood Historical Epic.
  '12 Years a Slave' can be compared to 'Roots', but 'Roots' is more memorable and superior in almost every way. As catchphrases go, I feel like "I AM KUNTA KINTE OF THE MANDINKA TRIBE" is better than "I WILL NOT FALL INTO DESPAIR WHILE FREEDOM IS OPPORTUNE".
  Most will enjoy this film, but I have to admit that 'Shame' was better. Steve McQueen (Not that one) is a very talented director, who can get incredible performances from his actors. Nice to see cameos from Omar (from 'The Wire') and Fassbender's crotch.
Every year for the past couple of years, the Academy has chosen history over special effects and innovation ('The Hurt Locker' over 'Avatar', 'The King's Speech' over 'Inception', 'The Artist' over 'Hugo', 'Argo' over 'Life of Pi') and this year will see no change as '12 Years a Slave' will win over 'Gravity'. Oh well.

TO CONCLUDE
This is very much an acting film with incredible performances from the entire cast.

SCORE
75

Way Down East (1920)

  Way Down East is a 1920 Melodrama directed by D.W Griffith and starring Lillian Gish.
The film follows Anna Moore (Gish) as she visits her cousin and falls in love with Lennox Sanderson. Tricked into a fake marriage she has his baby, which later dies. Having a baby with no husband was severely frowned upon back then (seems to be fine nowadays...), so her life is ruined and she flees town, and gets employed at the Bartlett residence. But how long until her reputation catches up with her again.
  Historically, this is a monument of silent cinema. Not only is this Griffith's most profitable film, but it established the 'melodrama', which is used in 90% of Hollywood today. Forgotten and often considered dated, this isn't as famous as Intolerance or as notorious as Birth of a Nation, but when released, everyone enjoyed it. Now, only fans of silent cinema would have seen it.
  Is the content as worthy as it's historical significance? Not really. The majority who watch this film love it, but within the first 20 minutes I was bored. I wanted to like it, however little was happening on screen and the music was repetitive and irritating. It doesn't have the grandeurs of Intolerance, nor the repulsive racial views of Birth of a Nation.  Despite being Griffith's most costly to make 'Way Down East' is a small film, filmed on small sets with a small story.
  The ending is the best thing about the film, it is a breath-taking action scene which I really don't want to spoil for you. It's a shame that the running time is 2 1/2 hours, which is too long.

TO CONCLUDE
It is way better than The Birth of a Nation.

SCORE
68

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

  The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 Biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Jonah Hill. It shows the rise, the glory and the inevitable fall of Jordan Belfort as he becomes a stockbroker on Wall Street.
  Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio) is employed as a Stockbroker with a respected Wall Street organization. His boss (Matthew Mcconaughey) tells him crazy advise, like masturbate twice a day, before the firm abruptly closes down. Jordan takes another job, where he discovers penny stocks, conning the invester and paying large amounts back to him. He meets Donny Azoff (Jonah Hill) and they create their own firm names Stratford-Oakmont. Their company grows in size rapidly and he quickly becomes a millionaire. Living a lifestyle of drugs, stocks and girls, his crazy and unorthadox lifestyle cannot last long.
  This film is the best I have seen this year. It's only January, but that's not the point. I have been long anticipating this film, and this is one of those rare occurrences where it is better than my expectations. This film is filled with profanities, nudity, sex and drug abuse. None of what is shown is to be negative, where all these sins are congratulated. The audience is led to believe his lifestyle is spectacular, not showing any repurcusions of drugs, and not respecting women at all. They are purely treated as sex objects, which will reject many female audience members. Only see this film if you are not easily offended.
  Scorsese's directing is immaculate as always. Each shot is framed, lighted and edited to perfection. The performances is what makes the film stand out. There are not many films where the actors are allowed to go batshit crazy with portraying their characters (A Woman Under the Influence and most Nicolas Cage movies are the only ones I can think of). We all knew Dicaprio was a great actor, but this is a completely different side of him, we have never seen before! A big surprise was Jonah Hill, as 'This is the End' was one of the worst films I watched last year. Moneyball was his first encounter with acting, but despite the Oscar nomination, it did not feel amazing. However, he is likeable, funny and crazy in The Wolf of Wall Street. In fact it is his funniest film since Superbad.
  The film shows you a lifestyle which you have never seen. One which in all Hollywood films would be avoided and his actions would have immediate consequences. It feels wrong watching it, but it is so much fun. I had a massive grin on my face from the first five minutes.
  Similar to Goodfellas, the dialogue is witty and the main character, speaks directly to the camera. Breaking the fourth wall, Scorsese does not care for standard Hollywood rules, as this is his own creation, filled with creativity and 'what he wants' instead of 'what the studios want'.

TO CONCLUDE
This film knows what it is doing, and it excels at it. Offensive, gratuitous and genius.

SCORE
89

Welcome!!!

  This is my second film review blog dedicated to American (USA and Canada) movies. Whether they are black and white and from the 1920s, or Big Budget blockbusters from the 2010s. America has always been at the forefront of films. The introduction of sound, westerns, gangsters, superhero movies. America has created all these genres. More specifically Hollywood. I find the problem nowadays, is that film making is too much about the money, that all sense of creative input is lost in favour of trashy formulas (Romcoms, Nicolas Cage's newer bad movies). America has squeezed out quite a few turds in it's time as well (Adam Sandler movies). They invented their own award ceremony, The Academy Awards, which is the biggest and well-known award ceremony in the world, if not always correct (Gigi). I watch the Nominnes each year, so expect reviews from them.
 The toughest thing about this blog, is deciding whether a film is American or not... A film could be set in England, funded and directed by Americans. So, if the odd non-American film made in the English language pops up here, DEAL WITH IT. :)

  Of course I prefer Foreign films (see my other blog) but I still like American films, even if they are more about the Entertainment and the money, rather than the Art.

Americans... They can be some of the most obnoxious, violent and annoying people on the planet. 

They are the most obese country on the planet, and created the monstrous Nicki Minaj, but Damn have they made some good movies. Join me, as I review the best, worst, old and new, as I discover them.

LETS GO!!!